Differentiation Practices among the English Teachers at PERMATApintar National Gifted and Talented Center


  •  Mohd Hasrul Kamarulzaman    
  •  Hazita Azman    
  •  Azizah Mohd Zahidi    

Abstract

PERMATApintar National Gifted and Talented Center is Malaysia’s very own school for Malaysian gifted andtalented students, established since 2011. The center provides differentiated teaching and learning across allacademic subjects that require teachers to modify lessons according to learners’ learning preferences. However,initial implementation of differentiation raised challenges faced by the teachers. Specifically, this study exploredthe practice of differentiation in ESL classroom among the English teachers at PERMATApintar and its effectson the English language learning of Malaysian gifted and talented students. Three English teachers participatedin this qualitative study exploring their experience in providing differentiated lessons for the gifted and talentedstudents. This study found out the English language performance of the gifted and talented students was not asexpected even though differentiated ESL lessons were provided. This study also revealed that English teachersfaced challenges in preparing and implementing differentiated teaching and learning, and that a guideline forpreparing a differentiated lesson for ESL classroom is needed for a better implementation of differentiatedteaching and learning among the gifted and talented students. Further studies should investigate the moreappropriate differentiated classroom strategies in the teaching of English language that suit the Malaysian giftedand talented students, and develop a differentiation procedure especially for the gifted and talented students inMalaysia.


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